Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade - Kenny Loggins

Episode Date: July 12, 2023

Rockstar fame, analysis of hit songs, and movie soundtracks with Kenny Loggins. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn ...more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 And I was home in my room. I already do but what you think we're talking about Sandler. We're talking about Kenny. Oh, I thought what is all? We're punchy. We're in a bunker. Dots somewhere. Dots anyone.
Starting point is 00:00:14 You know, these are for a window. What are you eating now, paper? These are dots guys. Jesus. Remember these? Little like it. No, is that sugar? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:00:23 I had one. That one. Kenny logins. Kenny logins. What a study. Really? Little like it. No, is that sugar? Yeah, I've only had one, that one. Kenny Loggins. Kenny Loggins. What a stud. By the way, I saw Loggins, Messina, Day on the Green. What's up?
Starting point is 00:00:32 Angry eyes. Remember that, lick. Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't I love music and I love musicians and Kenny Lugins can really, he's like in high school. He wrote, he just sat down with the guitar. He's one of those savants. I mean, somebody who just knew how to sing and play guitar at a very early age is in his, we really talk about his songwriting prowess and how he comes up with songs. I mean, he sat right here. Remember,
Starting point is 00:01:05 he came over. He sat here, we had a blast, looks the same. He's just stood, talk about how super famous he got there. Stadiums and just, you know, he's obviously such a big songwriter, Lagan's a Messina, just Kenny Lagan's. Yeah. Hit songs in hit movies. Soundtracks. That was big, big money. I mean, footloose. I mean, come on. And many, many others. I mean, his song and what's the top gun?
Starting point is 00:01:35 Top gun. Top gun. That they wanted, he wanted to redo it. And they said, no, we want the exact same song. Oh, we, you know, we had a big controversy because A.I. sang him Fruit Loose parody of, you know, we had a big controversy because AI sang him Fruit Loose parody of, uh, of, uh, you know, Footloose. And I couldn't remember the goddamn comedian that did it, but I was doing the other comedians bit, but singing it to Kenny Long's as a blast. And
Starting point is 00:01:54 he hadn't heard it, and he thought it was funny. And then, uh, and then on top gun, I always thought until the day I saw him, it was, I went to the danger zone and it's highway. And we get into big arguments, I said, there's not a highway in the sky. I don't even understand what you're talking about. Highway to the danger zone? Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:02:12 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:02:20 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. tense. I know. Ed, look, was it going to get physical? I never thought it went to that level. He stood up. We cut tape. This, you don't need to know this stuff. This is by the name of the series. Anyway, by the end we were friends, but, but this way, Kenny Log is one of those people in the last long time, maybe 50 years has been a huge part of American
Starting point is 00:02:40 music. You don't even realize how much he's done. Walled all hits. And he's And he's still out there touring. He looks great. I mean, he's like, he's Kenny Loggins. He's a rock star. So I found this really, really interesting. You to the audience. It was great. And it made me realize how boring I was. Because when I was hearing about his hit, and he was playing the Hollywood Bowl right after that, we couldn't go. And, but anyway, he was a good and find it. I drove over there and I went around around I couldn't find the Hollywood Bowl I just started rolled down my window and went can't Can't have Sometimes the answers to the camera and Tor the any handed you are ukulele and you played a beautiful
Starting point is 00:03:19 I said love the world who hold the room in paper cup. Hey, guess what? What song is that go? Paper cup, that's called paper cup. No, Danny song. Danny song. And even though I don't have money, I'm so in love. Now you know I'm a comedian. Jesus. Yes, what?
Starting point is 00:03:35 News flash, we know we can cut this. What was the first big badass song globally? We're talking about the 19th century. Yeah. It was like heavy metal in those days. Uh-huh. Oh, that's the only. Ro, Ro, Ro, your boat gently down the stream. I'm not kidding. This was a heavy metal huge global hit.
Starting point is 00:03:55 Gently, gently, gently. Life is a dream. That was very edgy. That was like Metallica in 1860. Stop. I don't want to hear it. Let's look at a clip. Okay, well. Anyway, that's only when we might actually cut. No, I'm kidding. No, I just need a second, I'm high. You gotta take that? Danny.
Starting point is 00:04:14 Yeah, yeah, we just did the thing. No, no, space cool with you. It's fine. We talked about danger zone, I waited for danger zone. This is a, all right, next time we're here at the ball, hit me up. Okay, buddy. All right, let's throw to it. That was your mom People smile tell me I'm lucky one. That's a great song. You know, it's on you know, and even though
Starting point is 00:04:39 I'm money I'm so love we all night. Didn't we sing that to his face? Did he write that or not? Oh, he wrote it. Someone else did it. Oh, he wrote it. He published it on the fuck. Here's how this one goes. Papa, Papa. I go, give me a little down to down to down to down to down to down. And he's like, God damn. That's the beginning.
Starting point is 00:05:04 Even though we didn't go morning. We did a flabberg day. I'm so low, we wanna. People smile and tell me, I'm a lucky one. Life's just begun. I think I'm gonna have a son. He will be like you and me as free as it is.
Starting point is 00:05:22 This is the heart part. And the seed and the sun is gonna shine is. This is the hard part. No. And the seed and the son is going to shine it. But there's the heart. Even though we ain't got money. Oh my god, he's good. What the fuck? Yeah, man. So no, we are if me even me a heat. Uh-huh. Hello, head of A&M. Um, I'll call you later. A&M records. I think I have someone you might want to meet. They ran out of film by the hour ago.
Starting point is 00:05:48 Oh, that's good. Oh, can't wait to get to this grilling. Okay. I want to start with that song parody thing. No, I want, I want. I want to say one thing. Yeah. You're on that.
Starting point is 00:06:10 That was, I finally saw, was about a year ago, I saw your audition reel for Saturday Night Live. Oh, I haven't even seen it. That tape is fantastic. Thank you. It was a tape when I saw it. By the way, how have we not seen these for this whole time? I've never seen it. They're coming out with so many things
Starting point is 00:06:28 I've never seen in my life. It's rehearsals. It's on you to anything they tape, they can self. I mean, I guess back then, but they held it for so long because I just saw a video, a rough video, Dana, of Thursday's doing promos. You know, they do promos with you, you would be in it. Oh, the keeper leaves the room.
Starting point is 00:06:44 And you do with the host, the music, and then maybe one of the cast members. And I would write those. That was sort of my jury duty when I got there. And so you get to meet people like you and the host. And so it was me, Lauren's up there, sort of monitoring. And the first Lauren impression came early. And then it was Amelia S. Ves was the host, Pearl Jam was the band. And so I'm explaining how to, you know, this is what you say as you say.
Starting point is 00:07:11 And then I step back, they don't just show the promo, step back and watch and learn watches, they try it. And then they go cut, but still rolls and they go, when you say they try it, you mean, not the actual actors. The actual actors are really taping it to record it. But they keep taking. That'd be exactly 30 seconds. No, the actual actors are really taping it to take after take Is that to be exactly 30 seconds? No, no, it had to be like what like nine. Yeah Yeah, it was really fast. You had to put the host the music name and
Starting point is 00:07:37 Then you had a joke Hi, I'm me look us to it. So that's online and this is I'm hosting with Eddie Vetter from Pearl Jam And then we have four seconds for a joke And so I had to write like 12 of those jokes every week for a host and that's quite an exercise Yeah, did you do promos when you're there? You had to do that on Thursday probably No back when I did it. We didn't do promos. Oh for a musical act and do that. Who was your host? You remember you don't have to Kate your host, do you remember? You don't have to. Okay. No, one bit of research. It's only five if I did eight two.
Starting point is 00:08:06 No. It was a- I'm gonna guess the host is- It was a host, whereas, I don't know, Maritell or more? No. 82 or back. 82, I was there. When I was graduating high school.
Starting point is 00:08:18 82, you were doing- I was graduating as a Swarrow High School in Arizona. Mm-hmm. But I was- that was right in the pocket of me loving us and I was for sure. Yeah, me too. Because high school is like when you're in a great state. Okay, I just had people think that when I do those movies,
Starting point is 00:08:31 then, you know, do you hang out with Bill Murray and you, you know, all that, like, I mean, you're like, I said all day, yeah, yeah. And I, you never meet, the music's the last thing they do. Yeah. You never meet the actors you're on to their next, or next next movie. Yeah, the band is always the bad. I said, look, if we were talented like you, I would have
Starting point is 00:08:49 gone into music. We all wanted to do what you did. Jealous of saying. This was our fallback. I was in the little band. I had a hearty boy's book, was my snare, and I would kick a little hamper. I'd rather have a one-stringer told where you when you I was two and a half I was like a seven or eight but rock stars But what I want to ask you I just had a flight of fancy because this song Danny song, which is really super iconic Even if you haven't heard a while it's like the chorus like even though I ain't got money I'm still in love with you on it. Do you think that still rings to you? You just reminded me I did Gilbert Gottfried show. You did?
Starting point is 00:09:28 About two years ago. Oh, and we shan't any song together. Oh, really? Did he change the lyrics? Oh, it love, my God. It was so funny. You know. But it's very romantic and very useful
Starting point is 00:09:40 because in modern society, it's like, even though you're out of cash, I'm leaving real fast. And you know what I'm saying? But that's that young, youthful, even though you don't have in high school. I'm still in high school. I'm still in high school.
Starting point is 00:09:52 Yeah, in high school. Senior in high school. You sat down with a guitar. Yeah, my brother was not a leader about having a baby and hooping. And so that's why it's called Danny's song, because it's taken from Danny's letter. Some of the lines in the song are actually one of them. But what was your first chord? C's Virgo rising. Very good song. Strong and kind. But the melody, I mean, how do you start with
Starting point is 00:10:14 the two? You know the album version, C, that never made the single version. Oh, really? Yeah. You researched it. Oh, real? That's such a great line. Yeah. I don't know why. I never got high, right? They weren't going to play that in the radio. I never got, real, that's such a great line. Yeah, I don't know why. I never got high, right? They weren't going to play that on the radio. Never got, oh, boy, was it lucky guys, are you saying? Yeah. What was the sorry guy? No, boy, I was a sorry guy. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:10:32 Because that song was a tear jerker. It's my dream. Well, people adopted it, you know. Oh, it's a good hook like that. The funniest part for me is playing Benefit Consuits, where it's $10,000 a plate, and they're singing, even though we ain't got money. Yeah, it's you know $10,000 a plate and they're singing you know even though we ain't got money. Yeah, it's a time you didn't have money. You know we're trying to recall. I
Starting point is 00:10:53 was at a Catholic church once and the priest was going we you know in the name of the Lord we all need money and the whole church was there and then I saw Jeff Bezos going up and getting communion. I thought, well, this guy could help out. Right? Right. Maybe he did buy the church. He buys everything you can see. Anyway, but that song is amazing, because I'm always fascinated by someone who can come up
Starting point is 00:11:15 with a hook, a melodic hook like that. You're just drumming and then that comes to you, right? And some people are better at it than others. Well, and you're kind of one of the best. It's just it's just the thing that was there right from the very beginning. You had it that I knew what a hook was. And what was your guitar? I'm sorry, this is maybe too technical. And we don't really need you. We don't need to see it over. I can see you talk a lot about your book. You've got a new pattern with the guitar over time. And how proficient were you on the guitar?
Starting point is 00:11:45 How many chords did you know when you wrote Danny's song as a kid? I think I used all the chords I knew on that time. It was like five, or you're trying. Did you do bar chords? Not at first, nobody does. Anyway, that's a last day you won. You can have the next question.
Starting point is 00:12:01 We take team today. Speaking of bar chords. You're from Harold Hambra, California, which I've only heard about that city on traffic reports. No human being really knows where it is. If you know where Pasadena is. Yes. But Al-Hambra, where is it?
Starting point is 00:12:14 I don't have a hammer. Are you thinking of Al-Tadena? Well, Al-Tadena is there too. We played sports against these towns. I hear that in weather reports. Okay. So you ask, tell him he's got that rock star life. That's really Dana's big story.
Starting point is 00:12:29 Well, I just, I love the very end of your book because you kind of sum it up saying, I, you don't really want to be, can he logins anymore in a sense, but we never had your fame or were a rock star. And that is a motherfucker. You're kind of a rock star in your world. Well, thank you. I was hoping you were gonna say that. Yeah. I take back everything I said.
Starting point is 00:12:52 Right. But you and then, you know, I was just thinking the ride of that. And when you become that famous, and you were a full-blown sex symbol, right? I mean, still am. Well, of course you are now, the ladies must have been crazy. now the latest final crazy idea. Finally, finally preserved and very handsome. But in the 70s and eight, that's just head you stuff. Do you have a question? My question is, I think waiting for your
Starting point is 00:13:15 question, he has to find you. Okay. But that must have been amazing. But go ahead. I think his fame, sort of, I'm not relating you to me at all, you're a huge fucking rock star, which, but when I got fame, it was a little easier to deal with because it was so incremental. And I got on like locally in town, I was doing stand-up, and then some people knew me there. So that was a little weird. And then I got on like an HBO young comedian special.
Starting point is 00:13:40 Then little more people, SNL, but didn't do much. Then I got a partner movie, but it wasn't the start of all. So over time, people started to know me, but it took 10 years, 15 years. You got famous at 51. Yeah. He was a rock star. But you did like, it was 21, right?
Starting point is 00:13:54 Basically, 22. 21, yeah. That first mile of the sun says, Dad, that fucked you up right from the very beginning. Is that one? And what did you mean by that? Well, you miss out on the parts of life that you should be learning about.
Starting point is 00:14:06 Because it's all genuine. And writing about. Because then you're not anonymous anymore. And you're not walking on absorbing life and getting a real reaction about the real world. Yeah, the real world evolves. Yeah, I never had to learn how to cook for myself. Yeah, it was one of the things I wished
Starting point is 00:14:21 that I would have gone through that phase and getting more friendly with the kitchen. Yeah. How do you cook now? I mean, do you have an ass-glue-shed of cooking? Lisa cooks. So I felt like when I felt famous for the first time in my 30s, that to certain people, I became an idea or a concept, you know, especially just getting wealth
Starting point is 00:14:47 to like, when did wealth come in for you? Like real well, when did you first make a million dollars? That was right out, right? Very close to beginning. Yeah, you got so many. So it was the opposite of your story. I was trying to say we played the true story and then I started to back out of it. Yeah, we, uh, logins from Cena played the troubidor as the opening act for Curtis Mayfield. Okay. And then two weeks later, I think it was, they brought us back as headliners because I guess the headliners dropped out and Weston needed somebody in a hurry. Yeah. So they pulled us back in. So it looked like the rise to that. Oh, back to the studio. At them radio was still a new concept. FM was, oh my God.
Starting point is 00:15:26 And so they adopted the logger and some machine record because we had these seven minute tracks where they could go out back and get stone and then come back in and. And what was on that first album? The first that got hit. That was sitting in. Anguished was the second album.
Starting point is 00:15:40 But what were the hits off that sitting in? It had Danny song. Oh, Danny song, oh Danny song and Murray covered before we got to it. And it had a Murray of all people believe in me. Is that what you say? Believe me. No, I can't.
Starting point is 00:15:53 Danny song, but she did Danny song, but she also she was her own star. Oh, yeah. And then you sort of gave that to her. I just said, do you want to cover? I gave it to her. Yeah. She was with a, I had a friend and there was her friend, her
Starting point is 00:16:06 friend. So I met her through her friend. So you still get checks today from Ann Murray's cover and then you get checks for your own. You did your research, didn't you? Yeah. Well, I'm into royalties and money. I want to know your network. So anyway, just to put that in context, I'll be like Howard Stern, you're 21, 22. You've got a huge hit album, you're getting famous, girls love you, you're getting really wealthy, then what happens? You do more of it than what?
Starting point is 00:16:36 More girls love you. Well, in those days, I didn't have a girlfriend or a wife or anything, no family, so 21 years old, you mean I would go on the road for 300 days a year. So, you know, 21 years old, you mean I would go on the road for 300 days a year. We just lived out there because there was nobody at home. The day you give shame is do they deliver cocaine to your house or do you have to go buy it or house?
Starting point is 00:16:55 Your underwear is made of cocaine. And then you're used to, you gradually just have a vending machine at every gig and the, yeah. So 300 days, but you were, you have figured out. Yeah, that's an ass for. Wow, is that on a bus or you'd find a commercial or I mean that's just. That's both on the east coast you'll tend to bus because the venues are close and then on the west coast you usually fly.
Starting point is 00:17:14 And they start to grow exponentially like it was you know to theaters or three thousand days. Well, we started on a college tour so we played the chance. So we did gymnasium. And then yeah. And then that grows out to real venues. The word gets on the outside would be the real ones because I don't know if we really got past that. Well, things happened pretty quick. So we probably did a short bit of what they call
Starting point is 00:17:35 the former art centers, which are 2,500 people. And then we were suddenly in outdoor views. I remember a show we played in. I think it was Oakland. Well, obviously don't remember that show. Paramount theater. And it was opening at was Peter Frampton, then Fleetwood Mac, Stevie and Lindsay had just joined the band so that hadn't caught on yet. And then us and then Rod Stewart. And I told the balloon story in the book about. God damn. When you walked to me, Jimmy bribing the kid holding Rod Stewart's balloons to he came 50 bucks to let him go now. So hundreds of balloons take off for our encore.
Starting point is 00:18:16 Did you guys like with comedians? It's always a pecking order. Like if there's comedians, you're opening act tries to blow you away. Even those easier friends. And if you're the headliner of the middle tries to donate you, do you like to follow that mother fucker to rock Stewart or did you know that or you're just we're in that lineup. We were third, third, but you follow Fleetwood Mac. Follow Fleetwood Mac, they were pretty good.
Starting point is 00:18:35 Were they? They were okay. What happened to them? Yeah, I mean, I'm still jealous that you even knew Stephen X and also rang her up to do a song, which is, which is such a great song. You know, because I was their opening act for the better part of a year. They opened for Luggens and Messina when they started and then I opened for them when I went solo. It was really the duet with Stevie that launched my solo career on the radio.
Starting point is 00:19:00 The amount of months. That error that you've worked with and interacted with is extraordinary. Had we known? Yeah, so we were iconic. You should have tried to manage with macros. Yeah, I'm new to this, but I'm not a man. You were asked to manage somebody though, right? What's that? You were asked to manage someone. No. Yeah, Dana, nice try. Save that David for a minute. No, I thought you said in the book that's not that's true It's no I swear to God. I thought he said And you kicked him to your manager or they asked you who's a good manager. Oh, well that was Michael Jackson see Dana But you don't name Michael Jackson a little guy a little guy. I wrote down something because I was listening to some of your stuff
Starting point is 00:19:44 I I wrote down something because I was listening to something or stuff. I listened to five, four this morning, four years ago. I was listening last night. On my iPod, without knowing this was coming up, they're already on, no bullshit. Cool. This phony over here, this guy's a showbiz phony. I'm totally free. He gets competitive sometimes, but he's good. David might be helpful to give your notes to the people watching and they can take
Starting point is 00:20:03 a picture of you today. No, I have great. What nitty-gritty dirt band I love, and that was early on, right? be helpful to give your notes to the people watching and they can take the best questions. No, I have great questions. What nitty-gritty dirt band I love and that was early on, right? Yeah. You wrote songs for them? Well, no, I wrote a couple of songs for them. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:20:14 Because songs for them. Not actually for them, but I had these songs that I was playing. We go to parties, different parties around town, and there'd always be like five or six musicians with their guitars. And we just sit around in a circle and we take turns playing songs. Oh my God. And they would say we want that one. Two of the guys from the Nitty-gritty Dirt Band were in the circle.
Starting point is 00:20:31 So they would do songs that they knew. And then they came to me after this whole thing and said that when you did about the bear, we want to do that one. And can you come up to look at Canyon and sing your stuff for John McEwen? So when you started doing your thing, did people get kind of quiet then? Wait, wait, Kenny's got something. No, so you put you in there.
Starting point is 00:20:50 You were a songwriter, it's so valuable for a band to have a guy come in and write to their singing. And just have a, you know, they recognized the style I was writing in, which is style they were recording it. I just wanted to insert this because it really made me laugh. But in 1969, you earned a band called the new Improved Electric Prunes. Well, that's not real. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.
Starting point is 00:21:18 I don't know what to do. That's what it was. I'm Wikipedia. So the new Improved Electric Prunes, no. Are they around anymore? No, they're what's an electric prunes that did. I had too much to dream last night and a couple other hit records. And of course, they got in a fight and the lead singer left. And so they needed a couple new people
Starting point is 00:21:35 in the band. And so I got a call from my friend who was hired to do the new music direction. And I was going to pass it to City City College and he called me and said, you want to go on the road? I said, yeah. And you were a teenager, basically. Well, yeah, almost. Well, yeah, almost. I was just sleeping head here stylistically. This is it here in that song and your voice on that thing is supernatural. And it really reminded me or it was sort of a similar style to
Starting point is 00:22:07 Michael Jackson that you can reach these notes. I don't know. Did people talk about your vocal performance on that song in specific? He had so many, but I was just kind of blown away by how you hit that. Thank you. Yeah, and though that, I'm still struck. And the problem with all that is that recording in the 80s, everything was out there. And you could do it competing with foreigner. So foreigner, I know. Yeah, it was a carol up in the Spanish sphere. But you could hit those notes.
Starting point is 00:22:33 Yeah, it was something, yeah, it was doable, not necessarily healthy. Not sustainable here. Exactly. You're taking all that on the road now. It's sometimes I have to drop a key here and there. Now I'm going to say this is it. Now Dana, I'm going out on a limb because it might be confusing.
Starting point is 00:22:51 Was it about dad who always went to the hospital with the heart of the house? Yeah, that was. And you were putting the other of the song and then you sort of that song wrote itself where you go, this is where it's headed. This is. Yeah. Well, the intro that I use in concert, okay, is that when Mike and I was the second song that Mike and I wrote together.
Starting point is 00:23:11 Michael McDonald Dana. Yeah, he's good. He's a Michael Jackson because I knew you were thinking Michael Jackson. Yeah, I think you're Michael Jackson. And Michael McDonald is another unreal. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:23:22 Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead. And the first point we wrote together was what a fool believes. Oh. and then we waited about at least a year before a rotosecond song because the fool wanted Grammy and it was like, it's hard to fall. People with intelligence would go, well, we should write 12 more songs. But we were intimidated by the success of the songs. So we kind of who purduted each other? Did you produce it together? What a fool believes because now that was Teddy Templeman so elemental and almost cartonian that hook and Like it's not any words like I never heard a hook like that Those are the original words Michael
Starting point is 00:23:57 Oh really just to make it like some trend and then you fill it in Hey, did you see you walked in and he was playing the beginning of that? Yeah, I was standing outside his living room. The door was a jar and I was hearing, and he sang the whole verse and stopped. And my imagination kept going to the, she did it it it it's amazing. Yeah, you walked right in and started doing it without even Yeah, but you matched it like that opening is so brilliant It always need that other thing and you got it. Yeah, the release the B section,
Starting point is 00:24:32 Released the beast and then it goes B section Stone exists anymore. If you notice that and it'll call the middle eights Is that what they are? Well, in that that's a Nashville thing. Middle eight. Okay. And the B section is just going someplace else for eight bars.
Starting point is 00:24:45 Yeah. You know, that's the thing you were talking about, Len and McCartney, that answer to that question upstairs was that I think McCartney brought the bridge to a lot of the songs, where John would come in with a verse idea. And then you'll notice in the bridge, the bridge gets a little more cordy, a little more intellectual, and moves into a different kind of vibe. And then it comes with the classic example of that is, stay in life. And woke up, got out of bed, got into the closet, that was some cartony melody.
Starting point is 00:25:15 Anyway, we, what's the word? Diverge. Well, no, because you were a part of a duo incredibly successful duo, which not important, but I saw it in 1977 or 1978. I think it was Stanford University or it was like on the mass green thing. We were all a huge fan. So just just delve into that a little bit how you you hooked up with Jim Messina. Yeah, that was I was looking for a producer. I wanted to be a solo artist. And I heard that Jimmy was producing acts. And what he'd done is he'd left Poco,
Starting point is 00:25:50 which was a man he'd started to be a producer for Columbia Records. Poco, yeah. Dennis, I'm always forever banned. Back in Poco. What do you mean, step-and-waff wasn't available or something? Poco in there.
Starting point is 00:26:04 Anyway, sorry. He's our favorite. One of our favorites to do. But so you met Jim, Jim ate James. And so I went over to his house. And I sang a bunch of songs that I had. A lot of the songs that I played for. Oh, no.
Starting point is 00:26:22 Oh, no. I'll play for a bit. No, I didn't play for a bit. I played for a bit. I played for a bit, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, He wasn't that blown away. He didn't want to do a folk act, and he saw me as a folk act. Is that what was that based on Danny's song or something? Or what? Probably, Pooh and that's one, but you also got, you rocked it on as you continued, right?
Starting point is 00:26:55 That was a conscious choice. Yeah, and collaboration helps with that, you know, writing with, right issue already, right in a particular style. Yeah, but what turned him, when did he kind of go, I'm gonna work with you. Just called the next day. Well, no clive called him and said my Davis, I'm a clive Davis. Sorry. No, not on meant. He was an impressive guy. I will. It's very smart. Yeah, clive bones.
Starting point is 00:27:17 Clive bones. Not you. Clive for 10 Bob. Kenny Loggins has a board. Okay Okay, so then he changes his mind. Yeah, Clive calls him and says, you know, you've been on salary for a year and you haven't done anything yet. So maybe you should pick one of these artists and Clive had sent him Andy Williams and acts of that ilk.
Starting point is 00:27:38 And so that was definitely not in his, there was one act that he would have probably produced instead of me and that was Dan Fogelberg. Oh, I remember. But Fogelberg made one big mistake and he said, I want to do an act just like Poco. And Jimmy is like, no, I don't want to do that again. But wait until James, Jim Macin is in a room, he's got a Andy Williams 8-by-10. And a Kenny Long is 8-by-10.
Starting point is 00:28:00 I'm not sure. Let's go with the long hair, guys. One's the future. You know, Andy Williams had a great run. Andy Williams, incredible voice. Nothing against Andy Williams and his family. But what's exciting, you know, good guy. For a Claudine or a client.
Starting point is 00:28:14 That's his wife or what? Don't you remember that? Claudine Lange, that was the invitational ski thing that SNL did. Yeah, that's a dentist. Dana Snow. Was that a dentist? I don't know. gonna hit the slump. See something he would do a bit about.
Starting point is 00:28:27 That guy's got an AK-47 going down the bunny hill. I'm so proud. I'm going back tracking to Danny's song. We can bounce around. And it'll be easy. There's Eddie's song too. My big brother had ADD, so I can keep up with you. I do too.
Starting point is 00:28:43 Oh, there's a butterfly I got a time I should. What'd you say? So this is Danny Song is by your brother. But it was similar that my brother, Andy, my older brother, was very cool, and I went to high school with him, but he was always embarrassed to me. It sounded like you said something like that, where you were really younger, and he told me I dressed
Starting point is 00:28:59 uncool, and he would always go, don't, they don't want people want you guys at the party, and I go, it's a party for freshmen. He's like, I know, but they don't want you there. I don't. I'm, that's what you need. It's somebody who always thinks you're an idiot. Yeah. It'll help you.
Starting point is 00:29:12 But maybe I have three of them that thought I was an idiot. Maybe that beating is, you know, Dana is from his dad's Montana, I think your dad might be from Montana. That explains a lot. And it was a, it was a, his dad was very tough on him. He was like an old school dad. Yeah, it didn't for me. And I don't know if you had that similar situation,
Starting point is 00:29:31 just old school tough, I'd say that. You know, and my dad was tough till he left. And then I ran off. And then I ran off. Have you considered therapy at all? That's what that was. Oh, my favorite subject. No, I got into therapy five years ago. Have you considered therapy at all? That's what it does. Oh, my favorite subject.
Starting point is 00:29:45 No, I got into therapy five years ago. And I, I should have got it at age 30. I learned a lot, but you might not have been who you were. Well, how would you, just generally for you, as I did read your book, but you're gonna say, how would you describe me? How would you, enough about me, what do you think of me? How would you describe your childhood, just a normal,
Starting point is 00:30:06 kind of weird, really fun, you know, or all the old ones I knew. How do I put this? Yeah. It did so. I was the third of three boys, youngest. I was the same here. And my middle brother, Dan, was kind of the outsider. He was kind of the James Dean of the Rebellion. Yeah. And so, you know, I tried to be like him. You've had one of those, I think. And it wasn't very easy to do, because none of his clothes fit.
Starting point is 00:30:40 You can't live up to him. So you're trying to wear, have me down to that? I even tried to, you know, wear some hammy clothes, because they were cool, right? Yeah, he was cool. Whatever he wore was cool. And you're trying to wear, hand me down. I even tried to, didn't wear some hand me down, because they were cool, right? Yeah, he was cool. Whatever he wore was cool. And it didn't look the same on me. Such an illusion.
Starting point is 00:30:51 And, but that's what I was referring to in the back of the book. Was that in the process of trying to be like my brother? I realized thanks to him that everything about me was uncool and really stupid. So you have to work at changing those things to become not so stupid and to try to be cool. And so there's a process of creating a persona that I carried into rock and roll
Starting point is 00:31:17 because I thought if I'm gonna be on a camera, if I'm gonna be on front of people, I better fix those things that don't seem to be working. Yeah, you got pretty cool though. You obviously, at some point you realize, I don't know how you were in high school. I saw your high school senior, you know, but you became kind of movie star. Good looking, right? I've weren't you almost in a star's born or is that? Oh, that's a rumor. That's a rumor. That's a rumor. Yeah. Did you ever hold hands with Barbara Streis?
Starting point is 00:31:46 I know. I want to know. We sang together, which was pretty cool. And at one point, she said, if you were acted, would you have any aspirations for acting? And I said, no. That was my thing. And that was that.
Starting point is 00:32:00 So that was my audition. I would say you were. Where did you, you know, I'm fascinated by drive. And where did you think yours came from? And when did you realize that you had it? You know, like you're willing to go through a lot of pain and keep writing songs and just drive to get to where you got. When did you, you were like that and had to win at games
Starting point is 00:32:18 as a kid and stuff like that? I was always competitive in sports, but not at school. School was sort of a side thing for me. But, you know, I think the drive came because I knew that I had some talent. I didn't know how good I was, but I knew I could pull up, you know, I could go to a party and sing songs and there'd be people listening.
Starting point is 00:32:41 But other than that, I didn't know how far it could take me. But I knew that rock and roll is a high turnover business. And sooner or later, I'm going to get a shot at it. And I better be good, because I want to hang out there for a while. And then one thing just led to another. I think the motivation when I got married and had kids was, you know, I got to bring in some money here. I got to support this family.
Starting point is 00:33:04 And so I just kept pushing, kept writing, kept recording. It's a tough life. Did you have bands in the 70s that were your peers? You'd listen to their album or watch for their guy? Who did you, you know, like James Taylor's running on us? I want to beat that, or just even as friends. Did you, did you have sort of... Seagr, anyone?
Starting point is 00:33:20 Well, I think there is that friendly competition that happens. It's still friendly. With other players like other guitar players and stuff. They take their guitar to school, we sit around and trade to and that's where you learn things, you know, when you're working with your friends. It's friendly enough that there's a there's a one-upsmanship that usually happens. But also that you're paying attention to what they're doing because if somebody does something really good, you're going to go, God, I got to remember that. When I show me how you played that.
Starting point is 00:33:48 I remember the first time I was, I think I smoked marijuana. I was with a band and I think you still do. Yeah. No, I did. Well, we tried at the ranch and the house vibrated. We took an edible, my wife and I, only because we wanted to test drive it for her mother Her mother of course Please then we didn't give it to her because the whole house was going like this, you know, but
Starting point is 00:34:18 I digress Yeah, we just took a teeny bit I didn't know and then we were watching the godfather at Cottonmouth and I woke up at two a.m. Thank you, out. And then the room was vibrating. It was, I couldn't barely walk. I said, what, yeah. Sounds like he took Indika.
Starting point is 00:34:35 Geez. Oh, well, when you, do you have a brand that you sell? You have the camera. I don't know. I was thinking about, I was thinking good poo would make a good name for a brand. Good poo. I went into the stoner store and the guys like,
Starting point is 00:34:47 hey, you know, I'm like, I need a, you know, what do you hear, man? And he goes, I go, my neck's always screwed up because I go, which one he goes, which one of these 600 do you like? I go, that's where you come in. I don't know. And then the owner comes out, he goes, hey, speed.
Starting point is 00:35:00 You know what Jimmy, let's get him some fentanyl crab cakes. And you know what, watch watch episode PCP candy corns I'm like no, no, no, I'm okay. I'm actually I'm actually just a new guy This one will we'd fan like a little Zquill is one knockout, but I have another question for Kenny It's more of a statement which they all will be and you don't have to talk this so this we're starting the park podcast pretty soon Okay, let me know when podcast pretty soon. Okay, let me know when we're on. Yeah, we call this the pre-cursing.
Starting point is 00:35:25 My purse is button. We're on. The first hour. Go ahead, Dave. No, this might be a lie, but Kenny, I think I remember we did a corporate gig. Is it possible? Yeah, it's possible.
Starting point is 00:35:36 It's possible. MCI, I was doing one at a hundred collectumers. Peep-oop-up, beep-oop. Remember that in the payphone? Paring SNL. And I was sent to part of my idea was to go to St. Thomas and do a show. And I did stand up at the...
Starting point is 00:35:51 The real St. Thomas or somewhere else? I don't know, it was an island. There's an island in there. I went down there. It was a shame too, I was far down. And then I think it was you was the headliner and I was just doing, but I did around a pool which was a tough situation.
Starting point is 00:36:07 They're scattered all around the pool. They didn't even cover it up. So I'm like on the diving board and they're around here. Anyway, I do that. And then I can do and stand up on the diving board. Yeah, something like that. That's dangerous. They were working on a chart to see which way
Starting point is 00:36:20 I could bomb the most. And they're like, I think the best way for me to do that, I do well, is to put them on the diving board and he can bounce. That keeps all the people apart. Yeah, I think the best way for me to do well is to put them on the diving board and he can bounce. That keeps all the people apart. Yeah, I'm there like not any accommodation. I did a corporate in a hot tub.
Starting point is 00:36:29 And I was fully clothed, they said, getting the hot tub and there's like five CEOs. So I went up. I'm high rollers in there. They're naked, I have a suit on. Yeah. They took an edible in the whole hot tub. No, anyway.
Starting point is 00:36:41 I think Kenny was a headliner because I swear this is true, but you wouldn't remember. But we, we, you know, a couple hasliner because I swear this is true, but you wouldn't remember, but we You know a couple has got to come back and say hi to you But you were it's not really a big story It's just that it was you and you were coming on but you obviously crushed and and I think it got to meet you And I think it was fun. How could I ever forget that? How could you forget check your diary? another thing
Starting point is 00:37:04 My buddy and this guy that I did't know how to the greatest footless parody we have talked about for a little well remember footless the song well basically like you said in your book you you had all these albums and all these hits and then let's you went solo. Before you, then there's all these soundtracks that blew up and are still iconic. But you and Jim, you're still friends now. Jimmy and I were doing a gig Thursday and another one shadowed.
Starting point is 00:37:39 So I know. I said you're really good friends. We were going to whale on you for comps, man. I'm going on the road. Is it the only reason I'm here? I know. I wanna go because it's gonna be so fucking easy. I'm a kick a day drummer. I just wanted to be able to sit in on it.
Starting point is 00:37:52 Do you still have your book for your snare drum? No, I graduated. No, I just drum in my head all the time. The guitar players play tennis racket. He played with you, too. Psst, psst, psst, psst, psst, psst, psst, psst, psst, I'm always drumming. Sounds. I put you to live from satellite. players play tennis racquet. He played with you too. I'm always drawing sounds. I put you to live from satellite. I'm really pressing.
Starting point is 00:38:11 Live from satellite. You've got a Dennis Miller here. By the way, can we begin? Let's go. Chris Sanks, he's doing the whole beatbox thing with his mouth, huh? To the master of rhythm. Kenny.
Starting point is 00:38:22 I have a chance. Has anyone ever called you Kenny KG no, okay, sorry So you you leave Jim now that was a big confidence Gilbert Godfrey didn't know who I was and True well, it's just a moment where he had to be reminded let me you look familiar With God rest is all yeah, great. So let's go through some of these. Well, one of the hits don't fight it. I just had questions because it was Steve Perry and I don't, I remember that when I read it and then I listened to it again. Of course, I know that song. And it's sort of, you know, like whenever I call you friend, it's you and Steven X, which is huge.
Starting point is 00:39:03 One, by the way, one of the greatest intros of all time. Oh, thank you. I just heard it again. I go, this is what I love. You're screwing around at the beginning. And I think people get to perfect these days in songs. And they go, oh, we had a glitch. Let's redo it again.
Starting point is 00:39:15 And you go, no, it's funny to hear people talking the background or do something odd because that's what you remember it, how you memorize it. And I think the imperfections are really fun. And that was on purpose, obviously. Which in perfection, or what you did at the beginning, just scrolling around before and... We had the sound recorded and then Bob James was producing it
Starting point is 00:39:34 with me and Bob says, we need an intro to this. And I just go out to the mic and just... Was that just you? Yeah, that thing. you remember that day in the beginning yeah yeah totally I love all anything just that yeah it was raised on the beach boys and that whole counterpoint thing part of my brain genius genius just kind of just weave these things together it's smart and when we talked my cart and it was like when you know when it's done like because you know the Beatles they would they would put another layer in another layer
Starting point is 00:40:05 and they finally go, that's enough. But you go, when is enough? Because it feels perfect, like so much going on, especially a day in the life, there's, it has changed ups and different things and that's why I know I can never write a song. It's too complicated. We just keep plonking, you know, you plonking.
Starting point is 00:40:18 John and I would face each other with a good tell. He was like looking in a mirror. And we just keep plonking away. Then we came up with Stormy Field, didn't it? I got a lot of them. I understand. I'm going to ask you a question. As such a great vocalist, because you are,
Starting point is 00:40:33 you got the cans on, and you're going to sing with Stevie Nicks. Must have been cool to hear your sing with her. The blend, yeah. Yeah, must have been a thrill, right? Yeah. Because she has such a unique kind of tone we
Starting point is 00:40:48 We didn't perceive Our selves to the way you're describing not we were just working Yeah, I mean it wasn't stevey next it was just stevey. Oh what year was it like 70s? So they was as or no, no it was? Like 70s? So they were, uh, uh, or early 80s. No, it was late 70s, yeah. Right 70s. So she wasn't quite, yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:41:11 Because long as I'm seeing her broke up in 76 and so it was probably 78. And it is when songs are become remembered and stick out decades later, it just grows bigger. I mean, it's just,, well, it gets legendary. You know, working with old comedians or actors and old movies and people go, what was it like on this and this? And you go, wow, because the beginning of the morning,
Starting point is 00:41:33 you get up, you look at your lines, you go, let's get out there and you do it. You're just working. Yeah, and you go at the end, you go, I didn't know, it was all right. And then later, if it works, it works. I did a thing with, I did a show for Coca-Cola's 100th birthday with George Burns. And he was 90 at the time.
Starting point is 00:41:50 And at the end of the show, I said in front of the audience, that George was so much fun. Let's get together and do it again when you turn 100. And he takes a cigar out of his mouth and says, well, you look like you're in good shape. You might make it. He ran into John Loveitz when he was like, I guess 98 and he goes, I got 18 months. What? He says I got 18 months to live. Yeah, he just kind of rounded it off, you know, but it was an incredible life.
Starting point is 00:42:17 Do you remember the New York McDonald joke on update when he goes, George Burns today died at 100, which proves once again, smoking kills. A lot of those guys had double martinis and high-poles and cigars and just went on forever. But when you're recording like that, someone like Steve, are you hard on yourself or you kind of like, I think I got it or do you want another take? You feel when you nailed it, you know it? Yeah, when you're in the zone, you can feel it. Do you feel bad if you're all that perfect segue?
Starting point is 00:42:48 And we're not going to take it. Do you feel bad when you have to be next in there and you go close going again. Stevie did say in a number of interviews that I was the rough task master. Oh, wow. We only had that one shot to get that vocal because that Fleetwood was passing through and we recorded it in New York. Oh, and you got like, we had one session.
Starting point is 00:43:11 One night. How does, so why? Can he log and become a task man? But he's like, Stevie, what are you doing? What do you say? Let's do it again. Let's just go again.
Starting point is 00:43:21 Let's just go again. Like in the movies when you do a take, they go perfect going again. You go, well, that was perfect. Yeah movies when you do a take, they go perfect going again. Yeah. Well, that was perfect. Yeah. We're just going to go. Well, Stevie, it would be hard. You know, I guess you weren't intimidated back then. Like everyone would be today with her. She's also just a stunner like in real life. I mean, there's so many. You're super talented, but you're coming. You got a great man. I think you agree. So she's, she's a talented girl, she comes in a great voice,
Starting point is 00:43:46 it matches up, and then you just cross your fingers and go, I hope this fits in the song because I don't want to waste her time and waste her time. You know, you just cross your fingers. I guess. We didn't know much about what we were going to do. We had to make it up as we went along.
Starting point is 00:44:02 In the studio. In the studio. Yeah, you had to write it up as we went along. It's all done and it's still. It's still done, yeah. You had to write in the studio. Because vocals were crossing parts where it would be too high for her or it'd be too high for me. And so we'd have to switch parts. So sometimes she's on the melody and so on. I'm on the melody.
Starting point is 00:44:18 And we had a harmony where the first two lines, I'm harmonizing to her melody. I'm a chorus. And then I switch over to melody and she goes up above and does the harmonies. I'm on an awe of people can harmonize. It seems like the toughest thing to hold a harmony. You know, all the lyrics. I think, you know, my big brother, again, Danny, got me into music and singing when I was little. And so he had me learn all the harmony parts. And when I met Olivia Newton-John,
Starting point is 00:44:44 she said, yeah, her big sister was the same way. Her big sister was the one who had all the melodies and she had to sing all the harmonies. Unbelievable. Damn, so you really started young. Yeah, you do. Well, you like the Beach Boys too and they were all harmonies.
Starting point is 00:44:56 Yeah, it was all about that. When you have, we have someone like Stephen X or someone else, let's say Steve Perry in there. You're doing this on. Do they ever say I want that line? No. I've had that. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:45:10 I've had that in motion. Someone wants to take your punchline. Yeah, yeah. Not good. It's very weird. Yeah. And then I'll tell you later, get lost. I know him.
Starting point is 00:45:20 So it is tough, but I guess it's whoever's doing it. Like when we were doing grownups, applause. Yeah, thank you. We were, you know, there's five comedians there. So this isn't the example I'm talking about. But Adam was pretty cool about, you know, you have five comedians and when you're, the scene is the scene and we all have a joke,
Starting point is 00:45:42 but we're all obviously capable of coming up with more jokes. So on every take, Adam will go, spade, do whatever you want in this one. And then rock, and then I'll come in, we'll huddle up after a take and might say, what about this line? And Adam will go, you know what? Rock, you say that. And then we'll say, I go, Adam, and he'll kick him around. So he was producing.
Starting point is 00:46:01 He was producing. He's producer. And then you have to have a boss and we have to go, okay, whatever Adam says. Now you do them all. And then when the movie comes out, he was pretty fair. You could have made that the spade movie because every scene I had a funny line. But he goes, rocks funny in that one. He's already had one. Give it to Kevin James here. He had a great line in that one. And I think even it out and doesn't hog him off himself. He could have been every joke because every time we, you know, everyone have something. But I think that's good. How do you, is that intimidating for you? It was hard with, you know, other four, five
Starting point is 00:46:33 other things that make you get funnier. But it's work. It's the same thing. If there's a chemistry, yes, there's a chemistry. You get well, certainly. I've definitely made me go from being a not really good writer or maybe just a decent writer for my own standup, but Lauren said I like that writing. We wanted in here, and then I, can you write for Dana, Mike Myers, whoever, and that was harder to write for other people, but it makes you-
Starting point is 00:46:57 Which seemed liberating to me. It makes you better. Just imagine anybody doing that. Well, it's a style that I can write for myself, and then I'd give it to someone and they go, I think you can do it better. Or I think that's more your thing, which is a play way of success. Or how would you do this? Yeah, or, you know, I don't want to have line rings, but I go with this.
Starting point is 00:47:14 And I wind up, I wasn't as good writing for other people, but I think it made me better to go to a read through and watch good writing and watch people write. And you're saying, you get around good people. It's the key. It should break. Like, I did a good memory moment. Documentary? Hopefully you edit this.
Starting point is 00:47:34 The wine and TV show. Wine and family. And they did a moment where I think Michael was on, McDonnell was on the show with me. And about six or seven really strong lead singers. And each one of us had a solo line that we would take and then they would point, you take the song.
Starting point is 00:47:56 Oh wow. We're singing the song, learning the song and then jamming on what the solo line was. And we are the world. We are the world was like that. Here are the world you asked for a different one Four lines I want Cindy's line Yeah, did you go did someone go a Cindy on this take ham it down?
Starting point is 00:48:20 But is it you try it looks like I'm feel to the you You go to the YouTube competition. Go to the YouTube moment where they're trying to get Cindy's line over and over again and look in the back on the stairs is Steve Perry. And he's making the funniest faces. It's like, oh, he's clowning. Well, not clowning especially. I think he's just grimacing because there were moments where, you know, she would kind
Starting point is 00:48:43 of miss the note. He was a little, was that a long, she would kind of miss the note. Was that a long shoot I heard? Oh, it went a long time. Not just Cindy, I mean. Everybody, yeah, just who was that real dick? Did anyone say we were a trend? The spade needs a heart out in an hour and everyone's like,
Starting point is 00:49:00 well, yeah, I'm, well, anybody want to get out, I'm sure everyone wanted to get out of there. Dylan didn't want to do anything live with the people because he has his own thing and he doesn't want to have to sing in the group. So they brought him in separately to the song. He sort of rocked and swayed to the song a little bit, but he didn't, he didn't write a single one with it. Didn't they show him on a wide show?
Starting point is 00:49:19 Well, he's just not that kind of singer. He's doing. He's, you know, he's just Bob Dylan. So, did you hear about Errol Smith, what's his name Steve Tyler yeah when he sang the national anthem we did you see that was it recently and uh like a couple years ago I think and um and he sings a lot of the praaaah yeah and and you know he gets all his criticism and he says what you expect them Why would you ask me if you didn't expect me to do that? I love because that early bano is on we are the world He sounded cool from you to and Mike Jackson. He was he was in there. He was wasn't he wasn't he?
Starting point is 00:50:03 Okay, we got a Google list because Just because I'd be a lot of luck this podcast. I can't afford one more. I hope I'm not bogging you. I didn't need to bog you. I like Michael Jackson. I did a Michael Jackson video once. I think I told you Zana. And he cut me out of it anyway.
Starting point is 00:50:17 I knew Michael Jackson in 1975. I was a bus boy waiter bringing him his carrot sticks before the show for a week. I knew all the family. Tito, Marlon, everybody. Tito. Tito. Michael was some charming and I brought him carrots and Janet was tan and she was jumping him down the bed.
Starting point is 00:50:35 I said, please don't do that Janet. She goes, Miss Jackson, if you please. That's the nasty. That's the joke part. I wanted to get into something we talked about earlier. Is when you collaborate, you said that you're in a room collaborating. In the end of the day, no one really remembers who came up with what? Oh, right. And you collaborate. Your big collaborators like Michael Madonna was he like your favorite? You did like seven
Starting point is 00:50:55 songs with him or something? Yeah. I guess five. Would you guys kind of went back and forth? But that's kind of my. It's interesting that people don't go. Okay. We're going to start with basics. Like when I came over the Hollywood minute for He's obviously being facetious. I said David. This is so you should do this This is you and you did a great job with it He did great. Yeah, I was generally you Bob. Oh, no, actually, I'm gonna robber odor curf from better call Saul He helped me come up with that. So what, I'll ask you these two questions. What was your, it's probably don't have it.
Starting point is 00:51:27 Your favorite collaboration, or the collaboration that was better than you dreamed it would ever be, turned out better, or someone who you enjoyed collaborating with, you sought them out. Miss Piggy, who's, oh you did, oh yeah, you were a big one of those things, yeah. Yeah, but, no, the collaboration, but I didn't write with her. You didn't write with her, yeah, you were a big one of those things. Yeah. Yeah. But, no, but I didn't write with her. You didn't write with her.
Starting point is 00:51:47 Yeah. She just, you ever said with Frank Sinatra? You know, I've always opted for the Fred Astari answer to that question, which is that he refused to ever say which was his favorite. Sure. Right. I get all my children are my favorite. I have a good question for this guy. Okay.
Starting point is 00:52:05 Steve Perry. Um hmm. Pipes where he was. Yeah, just to clear, to clear the air because you're in the business. Any logins has the board. Everyone loves Steve Perry. Everyone loves journey. And they, they went on without them.
Starting point is 00:52:20 I don't know if it's a money thing or whatever, but everyone sort of was hoping he would come back and do them with them. Was it his boy? I have an answer. Okay. Because someone we know, our business manager used to work with a lot of these acts. And so you had, I think it was the Commodore's,
Starting point is 00:52:35 but Lionel Richie wrote the song, so he had the publishing. So like he's got, he's going like, I think I'll go over here. He's got all the money. So apparently Steve Perry had all the publishing. And so he didn't want a tour anymore. Once you get a lot of money, you might want a tour a little bit, but not a three-year tour. So that was what I was told. Three hours. Three hours. Three hours, three hours, three hours. Sorry, you were sorry. I was going. But when you got, when did you, what was your highest net worth?
Starting point is 00:53:01 Steve Perry, what happened? Why did he not? your highest net worth. He didn't want to go on the road like that. I really don't know. I don't know. I know that he had personal issues. His mother died at the time. And that kind of pulled him out of the band. What was Steve Perry's net worth? We have to get.
Starting point is 00:53:24 We have to get. We have to get, we have to go to the link after the show. Obviously, Caddy Shack was first big sound track. I think first big sound track someone did. Yeah, I'm all right. Which is impossible to get three. You have three that I know of. Yeah. Three at least I know of.
Starting point is 00:53:40 But Caddy Shack, four. Caddy Shack, you don't, like you said, you don't meet Bill, you don't go on the set, people think you're hanging out and singing with the, with the cast. It happens later, right? Yeah. And they tell you what, here's the movie, do you see it first? Or here's the field movie?
Starting point is 00:53:55 Yeah, I saw a screening, it didn't have an ending and it didn't have a go for when I saw this movie. Wow. Yeah. The go for dancing to a first movie. The dancing go for rest. And everybody loves the go for it But when John Peters made the movie and John said okay, so this next part man
Starting point is 00:54:09 This is where we have a go for come out of a golf hole and dance. It's a hand puppet That's stupid It sounds horrible. I was so wrong. I mean that sound hard It sounds like that they throw it wrong. I mean, that's how hard it sounds with that. They throw it out, right? Yeah, I will have a puppet over here then and the old Murray's gonna talk about that. Yeah, I have lamp chop with me. Right. The lamp chop was a star. You bring lamp chop and I understand you made the big money So you bring some lamp chop that was a big chick his net worth. So so To the you write it to the imaginary.
Starting point is 00:54:47 Yeah, I wrote a couple of songs for that. The opening song where Danny, the lead character, is writing his bicycle through suburbia. And the temp music, temper and music that they had for that spot was a Bob Dylan song. And I thought, this is really strange. Why would they be playing at Bob Dylan song showing a kid writing his bicycle? Nothing is happening here. And then I figured that, you know, Dylan is like the ultimate rebel. So why is that going on? What are they trying to tell me? And then by the end of the movie, you see Danny Changes is his character
Starting point is 00:55:27 from wanting to be a part of the country club to wanting to go his own way. So he does become the rebel. So that's where I'm all right. Nobody worry about me came from there. Wow, I even put that together. Interesting. Oh, that's cool.
Starting point is 00:55:39 And they had no ending though. And so you were talking about giving a line away. They just, they brought Rodney back out onto the golf course, Rodney Dancherfield. A tag in the North. And they said, give us an ending. And this was who wrote that? You would know that.
Starting point is 00:55:58 You wrote Catty Shack? Yeah. Was it Harold Ramesh? It was Eric Roy. It was Eric Roy. Yeah. And the great writing, and a lot of improvising. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:56:07 And, and so Rodney just goes out and says, yeah, we're all gonna get laid. That was the, that was the mic drop. Great. It's worked. And then everyone starts dancing and they dance, I'm all right, is it? I guess, yeah.
Starting point is 00:56:23 That worked. Yeah, okay, so that one, that worked. Yeah. Okay. So that one that one obviously hit. You've got Oh, top gun is here. We had heart to heart. Obviously. Heart to heart. I heard it this morning. Heart to heart. Another with my combadon or yeah. Yeah. That's another. My dad David Foster. Yeah. I've met David Foster a few times. Yeah, he's a great writer. He's great, right? David and I wrote the chorus in New York. And then when we had that chorus in the bag, I said, I wanna hold the rest of the song for Michael,
Starting point is 00:56:53 because it feels like it might make a song to me. And he was on piano in your own guitar when you wrote the chorus or? David was, yeah. And on a great piano. And you're playing in his manner just like guiding him. Usually I don't pick up a guitar unless I need to find an idea. So yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:08 But because you know, the cordial thing, the whole piano thing is so much more fluid. Yeah, cordially placing. So when you collaborate and they're playing, you're going that, that, about over there. No, not that one big. This one, put that in the base. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:20 And so then I went to Encino to Michael's house and I played the chorus for him, and I said, let's write a verse. And so he just, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do. He came up with that in about five minutes. And that's it, let's do that. Yeah. And did you, I think you said in the book, you had David Foster and you had him and you
Starting point is 00:57:41 had to pick? We went into the studio. And because I'd promised that I would never record a song I wrote with Michael without Michael on the piano, because he's a unique player. We put David in one room on the grand piano, and Michael was in the main room on the vendor roads. So Michael played the verses, and then he would lay out, and David would jump in on the choruses.
Starting point is 00:58:05 Is it Michael, when you say unique styles, is it kind of rudimentary intentionally? Or how would you describe it? Because it is sort of, it's rhythmic. The way he plays piano. Michael plays with his hands apart and his baseline is moving all the time. And David plays like thumb to thumb. So he's big clustering chords that are real lush and more R and B kind of vibe.
Starting point is 00:58:28 Also, there's a wider range in the chords. It's just a different style. Michael's more like that stride gospel. It's okay. Okay. So what about footless? How'd you come up with that? What's the right game? I mean, footless. It's a foot foot. No, but the footloos is before Top Gun or the right one. No footloos is before Top Gun. That was a friend of mine, Dean Kitchford wrote the screenplay. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:58:53 And he asked if he could write some songs with me to make sure that he got the deal with Paramount to also be a songwriter, because they only saw him as a screenwriter. Ah. So as a favorite to Dean, we wrote a couple of songs, one of which was Footloose, one of which was I'm free. And it turned out to be a favorite to me. And you at that point had transitioned into electric and you were into the fender. Because you have that down, ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong. That kind of started. Well, I came up with that idea backstage, so it was sort of warming up on that. But
Starting point is 00:59:24 I came up with that idea backstage, so it was sort of warming up on that. But that I wrote it on acoustic guitar, but I knew that it was going to be a legendary part. And do you think Kevin Bacon's dance to it well or how do you feel his dancing was? I think Kevin and all the people that dance to that, pretty amazing. And if you look at the video, that's not Kevin entirely. Right. There's all the flips and the twirls and everything. Sure.
Starting point is 00:59:50 Most of that is going to start crying. I don't believe you Mr. Olligan. It's Kevin Bacon. Can you dance anyway he wants? Should we just touch on SNL for a second? No. What that? No, because I want to tell him is the parody of Footloose that he's heard a million times.
Starting point is 01:00:06 Oh, okay, yeah. But who is the guy? This is the one I heard, and just bear with me and we'll cut it later. It was Ben Sleepin all night, worked up an appetite. I'm lying on my head. It's like a weirdo, you know. Mom says, get out of it.
Starting point is 01:00:18 I see the two can. He says to follow his nose, run fast as you can follow wherever he goes, because I got to eat loops, fruit loops, one of the four fruit groups. We're done. We're done. Milk, please. Louise, eat the whole box with ease, funny heart attack, kneed a snack, my vitamins and minerals
Starting point is 01:00:37 I like. I like. Wow. It's funny. I can't believe you got that. The guy went on before me that and killed. He just put the guitar down and left and I didn't even go on stage. I can't believe you got that. The guy went on before me that and killed. He just put the guitar down and left and I didn't even go on stage.
Starting point is 01:00:48 I can't follow that shit. It's kind of good. I have loops, fruit loops. One of the four food games. You can't even get dainty. Okay, so that's a hit and in was song parody, and that was a good one. Okay, so Kenneth, before we talk about me again.
Starting point is 01:01:03 The cancer, the logon. No, the longer you can ask my logonator. the logon, the logonator. That's not bad. I was going to ask you just quickly what it meant to you in 1982, if Wikipedia was right, to go on Saturday Live as a musical guest. Was it a, was it, it was very, very, both, yeah, it's very exciting. You have, you have, you hope you're ready. And but it, because it's live.
Starting point is 01:01:24 Right. And, and the sound is really difficult to make it right on. He must go in there and tweak and get scared. I had a guy on engineer to be in the room and make sure it approximated the record. Do you remember what song? I did a show a couple times. Oh, you did? Yeah, I had one time was hard to heart,
Starting point is 01:01:41 and I'm pretty sure I did foot loose. Okay. Okay. But I did the loose. Okay. Okay. But I did the other one that was way better was Fridays, I think that was called. Fridays, don't you dare. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day.
Starting point is 01:01:52 Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day.
Starting point is 01:02:00 Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. Friday's all the bombs show the day. right? It bumps us. Well, hopefully yeah, that it's just to keep the record moving out. It also looks cool. Yeah, but it was a status. Yeah, looks cool. Saturday night. I was always a status kid. 100% and you feel for your, if you look back on it, do you feel like you did great each time or were you coming off going, ah, but did you? No, I felt good about it. Yeah. Did Lauren say anything to the Lauren
Starting point is 01:02:21 Michael's our boss? I don't think so. Because he'd be very understanding. He was busy. He would levitate the room and say, oh, this is a nice job. I thought it was breathtaking. Okay, well, we touched on SNL. Right, we did it. And that's what the show is about.
Starting point is 01:02:38 Yeah, but it's too fun to talk about this other stuff. And book is obviously still all right by Kenny Loggins up. But lastly, we'll talk about um, Danger Zone because uh, it was obviously uh, Danger Zone. Yeah, I know that. Can you still sing that in concert? Oh yeah. And how is that an easy one?
Starting point is 01:02:54 Relative because it's kind of raw or you don't have to reach for the high notes as much. Well, there are high notes in that. Oh, okay. You know, that Dana is a rookie. So how dangerous is the zone? It's just a question. You wrote that down, did you? Dana is a rookie so how dangerous is the zone it's just a question You wrote that down did you
Starting point is 01:03:20 I let the judge in the jury decide but um, have you heard the song I've been to the fruit loop zone Fruit loop now I'm to be singing that all day. How did that song come about? You got contacted by Jerry Bruckhammer. Oh, yeah, that was contacted by Jerry Bruckhammer to see a screening. But I think it was a cattle call. They did a bunch of screening for a lot of artists to come in. And I was sitting there, I was making a record with the producer, an Austrian producer named Peter Wolf. Yeah. We have to do the music.
Starting point is 01:03:52 No, we haven't. It's called the music. It does the music for the people. That's kind of, that sounded nothing like it. It's going to be a big smash. It's amazing. Oh, man, I'm so over too. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:04:02 You're gonna talk about it. Chris, thanks, Karen. I got no respect around you. So then you still, I went to a catacombs. I know I was gonna take up where I left off here. I went in for the catacall and saw the movie. And there was about six other acts in the theater. You won't say who they are.
Starting point is 01:04:17 I knew everybody, I don't remember. But Arlesmith was not there. Oh, and that I thought the opening scene with the jets and everything I figured forget about it everybody's going to write for that. And they got to the middle scene and the volleyball scene. And I turned to Peter and I said nobody's going to write for this. We got to write this one. Because then you then you're on the album, right? And then you're one of 10 or 12 songs that can be chosen for a single. That's clever. But Kenny, do you write, that's so interesting, you write for a scene because they have to put music throughout the movie.
Starting point is 01:04:49 So they're trying to vibe for the first scene. I knew that scene was going to need music. Okay. So that's what I went for. So I got playing with the boys in and then while I was recording that, I got a call from a marauder. And his office, they said, you know, we have a song, we got a dub in Friday, and we don't have a singer for it, because I guess the lawyers blew it. And that was dangerous. That was dangerous.
Starting point is 01:05:12 So, so I went, I listened to it, I made some changes and made some changes and then went into the studio. Did they give you a ride to the credit? Well, here's the deal. Right and credits are tough. Or write a credit? Well, here's the deal. Writing credits are tough. This is actually, I don't think I put this in the book. Oh, right. That, that, George Eau and Whitlock, his co-writer,
Starting point is 01:05:33 they were trying for an Academy Award for their, for their music in the movie. But if they had, it had to be the same two writers. So they couldn't add me as a writer, because that would be one of the songs they needed to get that Academy Award nomination. I thought it was five, but you know better than me, because you're a big movie star.
Starting point is 01:05:56 Well, I read the book. It is in the book. Okay, so let's say it's four or five. And then you, so you do wind up with it or you don't get it? Well, I said, okay, then just give me a piece of the publishing instead of writers. So we, you know, financially, we can work it out that way. But then when he sold his publishing company, something got lost in the shelf. Oh.
Starting point is 01:06:20 And my name was dropped off the record for about actually more like 10 years So nothing came in just in the publishing on that part and then nobody was watching the door right? So I didn't get paid for at least 10 years maybe 12, but then you got a credit later We we had to straighten it out and okay go through all that stuff, but that's always but so my name was not on as writer for years Is that eat at shit a little bit? The missing money is what ate that meat. Yeah, also that someone would drop the ball like that. Yeah, no one gave us.
Starting point is 01:06:54 No, no one's watching the handhouse. And you, and then when danger zone comes back again on the new top, I don't see it. 2022. 2022, it's a big hit, right? That's like an amazing worldwide smash. And here you are again, front and center. And just as a fan, when I watched the movie, and then I heard that again, I was like,
Starting point is 01:07:11 oh, I was just completely elevated. It brings everybody right back to that moment. Yeah, 35 years ago. But it was like, can you guys just, you know, like what, five? I was so young, Dan, we're about to talk. Thank you, can we? I wanna meet your dermatologist. We'll talk about it. Ken is looking good. Yeah, you're, like what, fine. I was so young, Dan, about me. Thank you, Kenny. I wanna meet your dermatologist. I can't, Kenny's looking good.
Starting point is 01:07:27 Yeah, you're looking good in order. We should let Kenny go. I think we covered everything SNL week ago. Well, I just wanna know how you, this resurgence, what is it meant if anything, just that you're front and center right now in the culture with danger zone? Did the people go more crazy when you play it?
Starting point is 01:07:44 Like, absolutely. It's so, that's just kind of cool, right? now in the culture with danger zone. Do the people go more crazy when you play it? Absolutely. That's just kind of cool, right? It's a fact on the last. Tommy Dowd, I worked with on a record. He produced Derek and Adamino's and a few things like that. And Tommy said, success is like a moving train. And for a minute, you're in the window and people can see you and then the train moves on.
Starting point is 01:08:03 And so my train is like a Lionel circle. You know, it just keeps coming around because now this danger zone's back in the window and it's cool again. Footloose went through a period of time, but it was just not cool. Yeah, it's just so came up. It took the groove. If and when I go to your concert, which I want to, because it's great, you're the kind that if I brought a friend that wasn't as a hundred percent
Starting point is 01:08:27 Familiar every other song they'd be like, oh, he does this one. You know, I don't think it's you can suffer from too many hits. Yeah, it's great. Although he also did that. Yeah, that's that. But then you know, with music, you have the young people keep discovering it. Yeah, and it's kind of hit. My kids love stuff from the 80s and 90s.
Starting point is 01:08:45 You can see that the whole yacht rock thing is really big. Oh, yeah, I want to talk about that briefly. Yacht rock. How do you define that? Well, I don't. Oh, but actually, there was a period of time. I will. A period of time where
Starting point is 01:09:00 smooth jazz was influencing pop music. And so a lot of us were leaning in that sort of Stevie Wonder kind of vibe and trying to get things that were a little fun here, you know, more of a jazz groove. And I was working with a lot of the New York guys like David Sandborn and Eric Gale and Steve Gad and people like that. So, you know, like Hard to Hard is a good example of that kind of jazz smooth jazz. Jazz and pop rock. Yeah, a lot of saxophones in that era.
Starting point is 01:09:29 Yeah. And so I think that the yacht rock thing was kind of partly defined by the guys that created the internet comedy bit on yacht rock. So it was like wealthy men on their boats. I'm never sure about that. That's one of the things I hear is like, is it music you listen to on your yacht? Or is it because you only on do you listen?
Starting point is 01:09:52 I think it's all a concept of just like, it sounds cool, it sounds fun, and it sounds like old school hits that maybe middle-aged guys are cranking, which I'm fine with. Yeah, they all work. Yeah, Dana's one, I'm fine with. Yeah, they all are all working. Yeah, Dana's one, I'm like a young, young genuined, yeah.
Starting point is 01:10:10 I am his father. We haven't never noticed it, but I'm still father. I think they're allowed to laugh back here. They've been either, they're not like an inner, nothing's been funny yet. So I'm really starting to show you each. We got a book is still all right. The guest is the great Kenny Loggans who just keeps
Starting point is 01:10:27 I prefer Kenny Loggans the great. Kenny Loggans the great. And wait, there's more. He keeps coming at us in society and now Danger Zone and Top Gun and all that's super head and we just thank you for coming on our Humbles show. I appreciate it. I'm glad I'm glad you when I heard you had when these kids are good. They're gonna be stick with it. I'm glad I'm glad you, when I heard you had, when these kids are good, they're gonna be stick with it.
Starting point is 01:10:48 I love being called a kid. Can I hang out with you, man? If they stick with it, you know, they just might make it. Well, thanks because if you get a chance, see him in concert, it's all, it's just great. I would love it. I'm gonna look at your tour list and just show a backstage one of those days.
Starting point is 01:11:04 Just anytime, you yeah, work up. Any song you like? I'll do Chop and Broccoli. It's the thing I did on SNL. If you got a piano, it's a... Broccoli. Chop and Broccoli might be a good collab. That should be a good...
Starting point is 01:11:15 We'll take an intermission that night. And you can just... It's so merch. It's so merch. We'll show you a merch while you get your whole crowd please. You could be the opening act. All right, thank you Kenny and thank you Dana and David once again. See you next time.
Starting point is 01:11:29 Thank you both. This has been a podcast presentation of Cadence 13. Please listen, then rate, review, and follow all episodes. Available now for free wherever you get your podcast. No joke, folks. Flying the Wall has been a presentation of Cadence 13, executive produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade, Chris Corqurin of Cadence 13 and Charlie Finan of Brillstein Entertainment. The shows lead producers Greg Holtman with production and engineering support from Serena
Starting point is 01:11:58 Regan and Chris Bezel of Cadence 13. I'm Giselle of Kaden, 13.

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